A Couple’s Guide to the Scenic Wine Country of Bordeaux

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Welcome to our couple’s guide to scenic Bordeaux, France. You can either travel by train or by car to Bordeaux. We drove so we will have tips for driving but this trip is possible by train as well.

Getting To Bordeaux:

You can book a train to Bordeaux from Paris with SNCF and it’s only about a three hour ride. The train tickets will be around 100€ for a round-trip. It’s about a six hour drive from Paris with several tolls that will add up to about 54€. I would recommend the train if possible. We didn’t realize that there were private tours to the sand dunes when we booked our trip.

Day 1: Getting To Medoc

You can take an organized tour to Medoc if you are taking the train to Bordeaux.

Medoc is a region of France that is well known for its prestigious wine, stunning chateaux, and numerous vineyards. It’s known as the left bank of Bordeaux.

We ran into bit of a surprise while driving from Paris to Medoc. A ferry, a car ferry actually! We had no idea that we were going to need to drive the car onto a ferry. We ended up being there right as the ferry was leaving, so check those ferry times before your trip! The ferry takes off right by the Citadel of Blaye. It cost about 20€ to take the ferry so that was an unexpected cost and major time delay. It was the first time that I had ever been on a car ferry so in the end, it was a fun new experience! If you end up getting to Blaye early, you could tour the Citadel while waiting for the ferry.

Where To Stay in Medoc: Left Bank Bordeaux

La Maison d’Estournel Chateau is probably one of the most luxurious stays that we have ever experienced. We travel a lot and tend to stay in mid-range hotels 95 percent of the time, but this place was an exception. Make sure to RSVP dinner at the chateau. It’s incredible and you will not want to leave the chateau once you are there.

There is a nice serene courtyard lined with vineyards and a lovely reading room. It’s the perfect place to take a book and get away from the city if you live in Paris.

Don’t forget your travel insurance! We recommend World Nomads. Make sure to have coverage that includes medical expenses, trip cancellations, and coverage for your belongings from theft or damage. If needed, you may also want to include car rental insurance as well.

Wine Tasting in Medoc:

This hotel/chateau is really close to the famous wine Chateau Lafite Rothschild, which produces one of the world’s most expensive wines. It is also close to the Chateau Mouton Rothschild, which has the Museum of Wine in Art.

There were several wine chateaux open and operating, but we arrived later than expected due to the unexpected car ferry. We did try to visit one chateau but we didn’t have a scheduled tasting appointment and we showed up right as they were closing. It worked out well for us because we found that after all of that driving, we were ready to just fully relax at the hotel. There is a tourism office in downtown Pauillac where you can get more information about all of the wine tasting vineyards in the area.

Day 2: The Dunes du Pilat

(If you are traveling by car):

After a nice breakfast at the chateau, you can start your drive to the dunes. The Dunes du Pilat are about a one hour drive from Medoc. They are stunning and free to visit! Parking was a bit hectic so try to get there early to beat the crowds. Parking was free as well but we did end up parking about 10-15 minutes away because there were so many people there on the day that visited in August.

(If you are traveling by train and staying in Bordeaux) :

You can join this Dunes and Oysters Tour by Viator.com.

You will find souvenir shops and cafes at the bottom of the dunes. They are quite touristy but when you get to the top, you will understand why there are so many people visiting this amazing location.

You may want to try a Dune Blanche while you are in the area. It’s a crunchy puffy treat filled with light airy cream. The Dune Blanche is a speciality in the area! You can find the locations where they are sold @ www.dunesblanches.fr.

Port de la Teste

After leaving the dunes, we drove through Archachon and then to a small village called Port de la Teste. This little cove is known for its oysters. There are little oyster huts all around and it has a nice relaxed vibe to it versus the touristy areas right by the dunes. We recommend Le Fe Bassin for an oyster tasting.

Day 2: Dunes to Bordeaux

After visiting the dunes and oyster tasting, we drove to Bordeaux. It’s about an hour and half drive.

Where to Stay in Bordeaux:

Hotel Burdigala is our recommended hotel for Bordeaux. There is a parking garage and it’s a 5 minute walk into the heart of the city. If you are taking the train into Bordeaux, you will probably want to take a taxi from the station to the hotel. The hotel is about two miles (three kilometers) to the train station.

What to See and Do in Bordeaux:

When you arrive to Bordeaux, you may want to try their local specialty which is a caneles baillardran. It’s a special cake-like treat that is sold on every corner of Bordeaux! They are caramelized on the outside and soft inside with a bit of vanilla and rum flavors.

A few Sites to See in Bordeaux:

1.The Grand Theatre de Bordeaux Opera has tours for €6.00.

2.Cailhau Gate Bordeaux or The Gate of Bordeaux is another famous site in the city.

3. The Big Bell or the Porte de la Grosse Cloche was one of my favorite sites to see in the city.

4.The Ferris wheel or La Grande Roue Bordeaux is pretty cool to see at night!

5.The fountain or The Monument aux Girondins is located right by the ferris wheel.

6. You can take a cruise on the Garonne River.

7. Cite du Vin is a modern wine museum.

8. This was always the highlight of the night for us at sunset. The Cathedrale Saint Andre has a tower that you can visit called the Pey Beland.

Day 3: Wine Tasting Tour: Right Bank Bordeaux

On day three, you can use your morning to site see a bit more of Bordeaux. Then we recommmed taking an afternoon wine tasting tour.

There are two regions of Bordeaux that you can visit. The left Bank which includes Medoc and the Right Bank of Bordeaux which includes Saint Emillion and the Fransac Region of France. We were fortunate to see both and I would recommend going to see Saint Emillion with a guide.

Fransac Bordeaux

We took an organized Afternoon Wine Tasting Tour. Our tickets for the tour were 95€ per person and it was a little over 5 hours. It’s a little pricey but it includes visiting two wineries and the town of Saint Emillion. You can also choose to tour Medoc if that is your preference.

Please note that this tour regularly changes the locations that it takes guests to, so there is no guarantee that you will visit the same vineyards. You can ask your guide about which specific locations that you will be visiting.

You will have several tastings, a provided snack, and a driver which is key while tasting wines. It was an awesome tour that started in the Fransac Wine Region at Chateau de La Dauphine. This chateau was about 40 km from Bordeaux. It became a certified organic vineyard in 2015 but now is a biodynamic chateau. Their grapes are 90 percent merlot and 10 percent Cabernet Franc.

The Chateau had some incredible technology that I haven’t seen anywhere else but they also follow the lunar calendar and work with the rhythms of nature. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the chateau.

If you are interested in visiting the chateau without a group, they have a lot of different options for touring the vineyard. The prices vary from 7€ to 55€ for the tours. Make sure to book an appointment.

www.chateau-dauphine.com

Saint Emillion Bordeaux

After leaving Fransac, we then toured another wine chateau that was also certified organic. It was called Chateau Jean-Faure. This tasting included a light snack as well as wine tastings. They spoke a lot about the wildlife that they had on the land and they also spoke of the importance of being in rhythm with nature. The property was beautiful.

Our guide then took us to Saint Emillion where we explored the underground caves, the cathedral, and the town.

As always, we recommend Viator.com for travel experiences. There are plenty of different Tours and Activities Available in Bordeaux.

Day 4: Bordeaux to Loire Valley

After leaving Bordeaux, we drove to Chinon and Azay le Rideau. These two towns are located in the Loire Valley. You can find all of our tips about visiting the valley in the link provided.

I hope that you have enjoyed our Couple’s Guide to Scenic Bordeaux. You may also be interested in reading our Paris blogposts or Normandy blogposts if you have more time to explore France.

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